The school, well-known for its athletic programs, has won 7 NCAADivision I National Football Championships.[12] Its baseball team has won 2 NCAA national championships and the women's softball team won the national championship in 2000. The gymnastics teams have won four national championships since 2002 and its football program has the best winning percentage of any Division I-FBS team since the introduction of the AP Poll in 1936,[13] playing in four BCS national championship games since the inception of the BCS system in 1998.

History

In 1889, Governor of Oklahoma TerritoryGeorge Washington Steele urged the Oklahoma Territorial legislature to "create public school systems and universities of higher education". In December 1890, the Legislature established three universities: the state university in Norman, the agricultural and mechanical college in Stillwater (later renamed Oklahoma State University) and a normal school in Edmond (later renamed University of Central Oklahoma).[14] Oklahoma's admission into the union in 1907 led to the renaming of the Norman Territorial University as the University of Oklahoma. Norman residents donated 407 acres (1.6 km2) of land for the university 0.5 miles (0.8 km) south of the Norman railroad depot. The university's first president ordered the planting of numerous trees before the construction of the first campus building because he "could not visualize a treeless university seat."[15] Landscaping remains important to the university.[16]

The university's first president, David Ross Boyd, arrived in Norman in August 1892 and the first students enrolled that year. The School of Pharmacy was founded in 1893 because of high demand for pharmacists in the territory. Three years later, the university awarded its first degree to a pharmaceutical chemist.[17] The "Rock Building" in downtown Norman held the initial classes until the university's first building opened on September 6, 1893.[18]

On January 6, 1903, the university's only building burned down and destroyed many records of the early university. Construction began immediately on a new building as several other towns hoped to capitalize by convincing the university to move. President Boyd and the faculty were not dismayed by the loss. Mathematics professor Frederick Elder said, "What do you need to keep classes going? Two yards of blackboard and a box of chalk."[19] As a response to the fire, English professor Vernon Louis Parrington created a plan for the future development of the campus. Most of the plan was never implemented, but Parrington's suggestion for the campus core formed the basis for the North Oval. The North and South Ovals are now distinctive features of the campus.

Another distinctive feature of campus is the style of architecture. The campus buildings are designed in a unique style, Cherokee Gothic. The style has many features of the Gothic era but has also mixed the designs of local Native American tribes from Oklahoma. This term was coined by the renowned American architect Frank Lloyd Wright when he visited the campus.[20] The University has built over a dozen buildings in the Cherokee Gothic style.

In 1907, Oklahoma entered statehood, fostering changes in the political atmosphere of the state. Up until this point, Oklahoma's Republican tendencies changed with the election of Oklahoma's first governor, the DemocraticCharles N. Haskell. Since the inception of the university, different groups on campus were divided by religion. Early in the university's existence, many professors were Presbyterian, as was Boyd. Under pressure, Boyd eventually hired several Baptists and Southern Methodists.[21] The Presbyterians and Baptists got along but the Southern Methodists conflicted with the administration. Two notable Methodists, Rev. Nathaniel Lee Linebaugh and Professor Ernest Taylor Bynum, were critics of Boyd and activists in Haskell's election campaign. When Haskell took office, he fired many of the Republicans at the university, including President Boyd.[22]

The campus expanded over the next several decades. By 1926, the university encompassed 167 acres (0.7 km2). Development of South Oval allowed for the southern expansion of the campus. The University built a new library on the oval's north end in 1929. Then President Bizzell was able to get the Oklahoma legislature to approve $500,000 for the new library up from their original offer of $200,000.[18]

Like many universities, OU had a drop in enrollment during World War II. Enrollment in 1945 dropped to 3,769, from its Pre-World War II high of 6,935 in 1939.[23]

Many infrastructure changes have occurred at the university. The southern portion of south campus in the vicinity of Constitution Avenue, still known to long-time Norman residents as 'South Base', was originally built as an annex to Naval Air Station Norman. It contained mostly single-story frame buildings used for classrooms and military housing.[24] By the late 1980s, most were severely deteriorated and were demolished in the 1990s to make room for redevelopment. The Jimmie Austin University of Oklahoma Golf Course was built as a U.S. Navy recreational facility.[24]

The north campus and airfield were built in the early 1940s as Naval Air Station Norman. The station served mainly an advanced flight training mission and could handle all but the largest bombers.[25] A large earthen mound east of Interstate 35 and north of Robinson Street, colloquially known as 'Mount Williams',[26] was used as a gunnery (the mound has since been removed to make way for a commercial development).[27] In the post-World War II demobilization, the university received the installation. Naval aviator's wings displayed at the entrance to the terminal commemorates this airfield's Naval past.

After the war, enrollment surged. By 1965, enrollment had risen over 450% to 17,268, causing housing shortages.[23] In the mid 1960s, the administration completed construction of three new 12-story dormitories located immediately south of the South Oval. In addition to these three towers, an apartment complex was completed that housed married students, including men returning to college under the GI Bill.[28] These apartments are now Kraettli Apartments.

In 1943 George Lynn Cross took over as president of the University, two years after the U.S. entered World War II. He served until 1968, 25 years later, becoming the longest-serving president in history of the university. Five presidents served in the next 25 years. In 1994, the university hired a president who has stayed longer.

The university had policies of racial discrimination and segregation which were challenged and overturned in court cases. The Bizzell Memorial Library has been designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark in commemoration of the cases of David McLaurin, a black man who was denied admission to graduate school in 1948. It was then state law that no school should serve both white and black students, but there were few or no separate graduate programs available for blacks. A court case effectively forced the Board of Regents to vote to admit McLaurin, but he was directed to study in a separated area within the law library and to be allowed to lunch only in a segregated area as well. The National Association for Advancement of Colored People brought the case to the U.S. Supreme court in McLaurin vs. Oklahoma State Board of Regents. In 1950, the court overturned the university's policy for segregation at the graduate school level. The case was an important precedent for the more famous and sweeping 1954 case of Brown v. Board of Education which disallowed "separate but equal" policy at all school levels.[29]

Since David Boren became Oklahoma's president in 1994, the University of Oklahoma system has had an increase in new developments throughout including: the purchase of 60 acres (0.2 km2) for OU-Tulsa, the new Gaylord Hall, Price Hall, the ExxonMobil Lawrence G. Rawl Engineering Practice Facility, Devon Energy Hall, the Wagner Student Academic Services Center, the Research and Medical Clinic, the expansions of the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art,[30] and the National Weather Center.[31]

Academic profile

The university consists of fifteen colleges, including 152 majors[6] such as meteorology, geology, petroleum engineering, architecture, law, medicine, Native American studies, history of science, and dance programs. While the two main campuses are located in Norman and Oklahoma City, affiliated programs in Tulsa expand access for students in eastern Oklahoma. Some of the programs in Tulsa include: medicine, pharmacy, nursing, public health, allied health and liberal arts studies.[32]

Gaylord Hall, home of the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, finished construction in 2004.

The University of Oklahoma is ranked among the top 50 public universities in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.[33] The 2010 U.S. News and World Report ranked OU 102nd among all colleges in the nation, and has categorized it as "more selective."[34] Students come from all 50 U.S. states and over 100 countries. 32% of the 2006 freshmen were in the top 10% of their high school class.[35] Ethnic minority groups represent over 25% of newly-enrolled undergraduates[36] and 27% of all students.[37]. In addition, the university has an enrollment of over 700 National Merit Scholars, making it first per capita among public universities.[6]

Oklahoma is ranked in the top 10 for "Best Value Public Colleges" by the Princeton Review.[38] In a survey of the top 500 academic institutions in the world by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2006, Oklahoma ranked 301st. They were tied with 99 other schools, including Big 12 schools such as Texas Tech University and Kansas State University. University of Colorado was the highest Big 12 school, being ranked number 34.[39] However, due to stricter enrollment policies in recent years,[40][41][42] average scores for incoming students are on the rise. The average ACT score for a first-time student in 2006 was a 25.6[43] while in 1999, it was 24.5.[44]

In addition to 152 majors to choose from, the University of Oklahoma also has a nationally recognized Honors College. Every student from any major can apply to the college; if accepted the student is eligible to take honors classes and graduate cum laude. In order to graduate with honors, the student must complete 18 credit hours of honors classes. Transfer students are able to transfer up to nine credit hours of honor classes from a different university.[45]

Campuses

Map of the University of Oklahoma campus.

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Norman campus

As of the Fall of 2007, the Norman campus had 19,852 undergraduate students and 6,367 postgraduate students.[4] Following the Sooner's 2000 football national championship season, the university experienced an increase in college applicants and admissions. The falls of 1999 and 2000 both saw a 1.3% increase in the number of students over the respective previous years while the fall of 2001 saw an increase of 4.8% over 2000.[46]

Price Hall, an addition to the Michael F. Price College of Business, finished construction in 2005.

The Norman campus is divided into three sections: north campus, main campus, and south campus. All three campuses are connected by a bus service funded by student fees which allows students to park at Lloyd Noble Center and provides 5-10 minute service to the main and south campuses.[49] Other regular Norman bus routes provide service to north campus as well as the main campus. The main and south campus are contiguous while the north campus is located about two miles north of the main campus.

Main campus

The main campus is bordered by Boyd Street on the north, Timberdell Road on the south, Chautauqua Avenue on the west, and Jenkins Avenue on the east.[50] The Norman campus is centered around two large "ovals." The Parrington Oval (or North Oval as it is more commonly called) is anchored on the south by Evans Hall, the main administrative building. This building highlights the "CherokeeGothic" style of architecture locally derived from the Collegiate Gothic style, the style that dominates and defines the older buildings on the OU campus.[15] The North Oval is bordered on the east by the Oklahoma Memorial Union.

Memorial Stadium houses University of Oklahoma football games, as well as the campus bookstore.

On the east side of the northernmost part of campus sits Sarkeys Energy Center while to the west is the Fred Jones, Jr. School of Art and Museum, home to the Weitzenhoffer Collection of Impressionist art[51] and the Catlett Music Center. The Van Vleet Oval (or South Oval) is anchored on the north by the Bizzell Memorial Library and flanked by academic buildings. When class is in session, the South Oval is often inundated with students going to and from class. Elm Avenue bounds the western edge of the academic portion of OU, with a few exceptions. Lying between Elm Avenue and Chautauqua Avenue are mostly fraternity and sorority houses.

On the east side of the central part of campus lies Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, just north of Lindsey street on Jenkins Avenue. Immediately adjacent to the stadium is the Barry Switzer Center, a museum highlighting the historical success of Oklahoma athletics, as well as a comprehensive training facility for Oklahoma athletes. North of the stadium is the McCasland Field House, the former home of Oklahoma Basketball and the current home of Oklahoma's wrestling, volleyball and gymnastics programs. Across Jenkins Avenue are the athletic dorms and statues honoring Oklahoma's past five Heisman Trophy winners. Other statues on campus include several honoring the Native Americans who defined so much of Oklahoma's history and a new memorial statue on the north side of Oklahoma Memorial Stadium honoring OU students, faculty, and staff that have died while serving in the armed forces.[52][53]

The portion of campus south of Lindsey Street consists of mainly student housing, Cate and Cross centers being four-story quadrangular centers and Walker Tower, Couch Tower and Adams Center being twelve-story towers. Facing the towers on Asp Avenue is the Huston Huffman Center, the student activity and fitness center. On the north side of Timberdell road is the Murray Case Sells Swim Complex which is open to students and features indoor and outdoor pools.

Directly north of the main campus on Boyd Street is Campus Corner, a popular commercial area. There are several restaurants, bars, and small shops that cater to the student body and the Norman population at large.

The Oklahoma administration prides itself on the aesthetic appeal of the campus.[15][54] All three campuses (Norman, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa) have beautifully landscaped gardens. Trees were planted on the OU campus before the first building was ever built.[15] There are also many statues and sculptures around campus, most of which portray the strong influence of the Native American culture.

South campus

South of student housing is Timberdell Road, the approximate southern boundary of the University. South of this road are University-owned apartments and athletic complexes. Also on the south side of Timberdell Road is the College of Law building which was expanded in 2002 by the addition of a larger law library and courtroom.[56] There are additional athletic complexes in this area, including L. Dale Mitchell Baseball Park, the OU Softball Field, and Lloyd Noble Center (the basketball arena).

OU owns the wooded area just south of Highway 9 between Chautauqua and Jenkins. This area is called Oliver’s Woods. Ecology classes take field trips to Oliver’s Woods frequently. They can use the area to study Ecological patterns including tree growth and pH in the ground. Visible patterns of plant dispersion can be studied in Oliver’s Woods as well, including uniform, random, and clumped patterns. The area has a trail for people to follow and a creek running through the lower elevated area.

Research Campus

While this area has traditionally been free from academic buildings, with the pressure of expansion being felt in the northern part of campus, new academic buildings, such as the National Weather Center and Stephenson Research and Technology Center were recently completed on the south end of campus. This area is now termed The University of Oklahoma’s Research Campus, which "brings academic, public and private sector organizations together in a mutually beneficial collaborative environment."[57] In 2004, global weather information provider WeatherNews opened its U.S. Operations Center in One Partners Place, located in the research campus one block away from the new NWC building.[58] The southern boundary of the research campus is State Highway 9. Also located on the Research Campus is the state-of-the-art weather radar called OU-PRIME[1] for Polarimetric Radar for Innovations in Meteorology and Engineering. This radar facility is operated by OU's Atmospheric Radar Research Center. The new Life Sciences Research Center is almost complete and is soon to open. In addition to this, there are now several other buildings located on the research campus named One Partners Place, Two Partners Place, Three Partners Place along with a proposed Four Partners Place. Housed within these buildings are the Center for Spatial Analysis, RiskMetrics and the Center for Applied Social Research amongst several others. Plans for Four Partner Place call for it to eventually house a research division for the Nanjing Automobile Group.

Medical Center

The OU Medical Center's main campus is located at the Oklahoma Health Center in Oklahoma City, while a secondary Health Sciences campus is in Tulsa. About 3,500 students enroll in one of the seven colleges at the Health Center. The distribution of students in each of these colleges is more uniform than that of the main campus.

The University of Oklahoma Medical Center (OUHSC), established in the early 20th century, is OU's presence in Oklahoma City. OUHSC is one of only four academic health centers in the nation with seven professional colleges.[61] The nineteen buildings that make up the OUHSC campus occupies a fifteen block area in Oklahoma City near the Oklahoma State Capitol. Surrounding these buildings are an additional twenty health-related buildings some of which are owned by the University of Oklahoma. With approximately 600 students and 600 residents and fellows training in specialties and subspecialties of medicine, the College of Medicine is the largest component of the Health Sciences Center. The major clinical facilities on campus are the OU Medical Center hospital complex and they include The Children's Hospital, the OU Physicians clinics, and the Oklahoma City Veterans Administration Medical Center. The Oklahoma Health Center at large has large biomedical research facilities operated by the University joined on campus by a growing biomedical and pharmaceutical research corporations developed by the Presbyterian Health Foundation, dedicated to biotechnology, research, and new scientific ventures.

The University of Oklahoma campus in Tulsa houses the new Research and Medical Clinic.

Established in 1972 as a branch of the main Health Sciences Center campus in Oklahoma City, the College of Medicine–Tulsa has enabled the University to use hospital training facilities in Tulsa to establish medical residencies and provide for expanded health care capabilities in the state. Under this program, selected third- and fourth-year students receive their clinical training in hospitals in the Tulsa community. Between 1972 and 1999, OU's presence in Tulsa had grown but scattered. In 1999, a 60 acres (0.2 km2) site formerly owned by BP Amoco was sold to the University for $24 million (even though the property was appraised at $48 million). The site already featured a 370,000 square feet (34,370 m2) building with office, labs, and classrooms.[62] The university purchased this property with the help of a $10 million gift from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. The existing building was renamed the Schusterman Center.[63] In 2003, Tulsa voters approved the Vision 2025 plan for capital improvements to the Tulsa metro area. Included in this plan was $30 million for a new Research and Medical Clinic near the existing Schusterman Center.[64] Construction on the new building was completed in June 2007.

Museums and libraries

The university has two prominent museums, the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art and the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History. The Museum of Art was founded in 1936 and originally headed by Oscar Jacobson, the director of the School of Art at the time. The museum opened with over 2,500 items on display and was originally located on campus in Jacobson Hall. Mr. and Mrs. Fred Jones of Oklahoma City donated money for a permanent building in 1971 and the building was named in honor of their son who died in a plane crash during his senior year at the University of Oklahoma.[65] Since then, the museum has acquired many renowned works of Native American art and, in 2000, received the Weitzenhoffer Collection of French Impressionism which includes works by Degas, Gauguin, Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh, and Vuillard. Today, the museum has over 65,000 square feet (6,000 m²) filled with over 8,000 items from a wide array of time periods and movements.[65] In 2005, the museum expanded with the opening of the new Lester Wing designed by contemporary architect Hugh Newell Jacobsen. The architectural style of the new addition deviates from the Collegiate Gothic style of the university, but Jacobsen felt this was necessary given the contemporary works of art the wing would house.[66]

The Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, located south of the main campus and directly southwest of the law building, specializes in the history of the people and animals that have inhabited Oklahoma over the last 300 million years. Since its founding in 1899, the museum has acquired over 5,000,000 objects. In 2000, a new building was opened to house the ever expanding museum. The new building offered nearly 200,000 square feet (18,600 m²) of space to display the many exhibits the museum has to offer.[67]

The University of Oklahoma Library system is headquartered in Bizzell Memorial Library and is largest research library in Oklahoma, contains over 4.7 million volumes and is ranked 27th out of 113 research libraries in North America in volumes held.[68] It contains more than 1.6 million photographs, subscriptions to over 31,000 periodicals, over 1.5 million maps, government documents dating back to 1893, and over 50 incunabula.[68] It has nine locations on campus. The primary library is Bizzell Memorial Library, located in the middle of the main campus. Other notable campus libraries include the Architecture Library, the Chemistry and Mathematics Library, the Engineering Library, the Fine Arts Library, the Physics and Astronomy Library, and the Geology Library. The OU library system contains many unique collections such as the History of Science Collections (which houses over 94,000 volumes related to the history of science,[69] including hand-noted works by Galileo Galilei[70]), the Bizzell Bible Collection, and the Western History Collection.

The School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS), the only American Library Association-accredited program in Oklahoma,[71] offers two graduate degrees (Master of Library and Information Studies and Master of Science in Knowledge Management) and one undergraduate degree (Bachelor of Arts in Information Studies). The impact of OU and SLIS on the history of libraries in Oklahoma is shown in the recent list of 100 Oklahoma Library Legends as produced by the Oklahoma Library Association.[72] Two current faculty, one faculty emeriti, and numerous others associated with either the OU libraries or SLIS comprise nearly 10% of the list's members.

Student life

Residential life

The Walker, Honors and Adams dorm buildings make up three of the school's residential halls.

Oklahoma requires, with few exceptions, that all freshmen live in one of the four residence halls.[73] Three of these building are towers (12 stories each): Adams Center, Walker Center, and Couch Center; the other is quad Cate Center.[74] The Academic Arts Community, more commonly referred to as Cate 5 or Honors, is located directly above the honors college, David L. Boren Hall. Although it is commonly believed that this dorm caters only to honors students, a large proportion of non-honors students comprise the community. The three towers are all located around each other with the Couch Cafeteria completing the residence community. Couch Cafeteria is composed of several different themed restaurants that serves a wide variety of food each day.[75] Located in between Adams and Walker Centers is the Walker/Adams Mall, a field roughly the size of a football field. This area includes a basketball court and an open grass area that hosts musical events and other student-related activities. As of Fall 2007, over 3,900 students lived in one of these residence halls. Each residence hall has its own RSA (Resident Student Association) office, as well as its own computer lab and laundry facilities. By 2010, all residential halls, with the exception of Cate, will be completely renovated and upgraded. As of the Spring 2009 semester, the south-east wing of Walker Center is under renovation.[76]

The university owns several apartment complexes around the campus. Some of these apartments were old and dilapidated, and the university has taken the strides to resolve this issue. Two brand new complexes owned by the university opened in recent years; OU Traditions Square East in 2005 and OU Traditions Square West in 2006.[77]

Due to a low cost of living in Oklahoma, many students find it financially viable to live off campus in either apartments or houses. Over the last several years, Norman has seen a boom in apartment development. Since 2002, four new apartment or condominium complexes (not including the OU-owned properties) have been built[78] in addition to a booming housing market that is resulting in Norman spreading further east. Many students commute from nearby Moore and Oklahoma City.

Student organizations, activities, and media

The Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band performs during half-time at football games.

Oklahoma has over 350 student organizations.[79] Focuses of these organizations range from ethnic to political, religious to special interests such as the Ted English Compositions Studies Club. Oklahoma Memorial Union (student union) houses many of these organizations' offices.

The student union provides a place for students to relax, sleep, study, watch television, or socialize. The Union Programming Board provides diverse activities and programs in the union such as movies, bands, dances, give-aways, or other activities. Intramural sports are a popular activity on campus with over 35 different sports available.[80] A large intramural field, where many outdoor events take place, is located just one block east of the dorms.

The Pride of Oklahoma, the university's marching band, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2004 and consists of 311 student musicians and dancers from 19 states. Students wishing to enter the band go through a rigorous audition process. The band plays at every home football game. A smaller "pep-band," which usually consists of 100 members, travels to every away football game. The full band makes trips to the AT&T Red River Rivalry game against The University of Texas, Big 12 Championship Game, bowl games and other games of importance. Members of the band are also present for many student events. It was awarded the Sudler Trophy in 1987. In 2007, The Pride of Oklahoma marched in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, making it one of only a few bands to have ever marched in the Rose and Macy's Parades.[81]

The University of Oklahoma Army ROTC assembled in formation at its Fall 2007 Field Training Exercise.

The campus student radio station, the WIRE, broadcasts over the Internet. The campus TV station, TV4OU, features student produced programming five nights a week and is available on local cable (COX Ch. 4). "OU Nightly", the live, student newscast, airs weeknights at 4:30 and 9:30. "The Sports Package", a live sports program, airs live Monday nights at 5:00 and throughout the week. Oklahoma's Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication programs The Wire and TV4OU. Oklahoma's Department of Continuing Education operates KROU and KGOU, a public radio station broadcasting on 106.3 FM. KGOU is affiliated with NPR. The campus newspaper, The Oklahoma Daily, is produced daily during the fall and spring semesters and weekly during the summer semester.[82]

The Sooner Racing Team is a student organization comprised primarily of mechanical engineers that competes in an international collegiate engineering competition known as Formula SAE. The team has recently been highly successful, finishing with three consecutive top five finishes in the past two years. In the last comprehensive ranking by FS World, published 07/19/2009, the team is ranked 8 out of 431 universities.[83]

Student government

The main governing arm of the student body, the University of Oklahoma Student Association (UOSA), comprises four branches: an Executive Branch, a Legislative Branch, a Judicial Branch, and a Programming Branch. The student government, as well as all organizations, has offices located in the Conoco Student Leadership Center located in the student union.

The Executive Branch provides student services on behalf of the UOSA, executes UOSA law, and advocates for the position of the student.[85] The General Counsel, chief legal counsel for the UOSA, provides legal advice, handles issues regarding academic misconduct, and approves new student organization constitutions. The Legislative Branch comprises the Undergraduate Student Congress and the Graduate Student Senate. The Judicial Branch is headed by the Superior Court and includes Student Traffic Court. The Programming Branch comprises the Campus Activities Council (CAC). The CAC oversees all of the campus-wide events. These events include Homecoming, Parent's Weekend, Big Red Rally (a pep rally before the start of the football season), Howdy Week (a welcoming of new students to campus in the fall), Winter Welcome Week (same as Howdy Week, except before the spring semester), Speakers' Bureau (committee responsible for bringing speakers to campus), as well as many others.[86] Originally, CAC was the programming arm of the UOSA under the Executive Branch which UOSA began in 1971. In 2002, UOSA voted to make the CAC its own branch.[87] The CAC comprises over 300 students who volunteer their time to ensuring these events go as planned.

One of the main functions of the UOSA is allocation of student activity funds. The Ways and Means (WAM) Committee, a subset of the legislative branch, conducts extensive interviews with representatives from student groups each year to disperse over half a million dollars.[88]

In addition to UOSA, Oklahoma is home to the Housing Center Student Association (HCSA) which is composed of the leaders of student government who are directly concerned with the on-campus housing at OU. HCSA further comprises six Resident Student Associations (RSA) which represent Oklahoma's six housing centers.

The school's sports teams are called the Sooners,a nickname given to early settlers during the land run who snuck into the offered territory and staked claims before they were officially allowed to. They participate in the NCAA's Division I-Bowl Subdivision and in the South Division of the Big 12 Conference. The school sponsors nine sports for both men and women. The University has won 18 team NCAA National Championships[12] and seven national championships in football (football championships are not awarded by the NCAA). By far, OU's most famous and storied athletic program is the football program, which has produced five Heisman Trophy winners: Billy Vessels in 1952, Steve Owens in 1969, Billy Sims in 1978, Jason White in 2003, and Sam Bradford in 2008.[102] Many Pro Football Hall of Famers, including Lee Roy Selmon, Troy Aikman, and Ken Sitton also attended the University of Oklahoma. OU was also the only school to participate in both the football and basketball national championships in the same year (1988), until the 2006 season, when Ohio State and the University of Florida were both in each, with Florida winning both games. Oklahoma also currently holds the record for the longest winning streak in NCAA Division I history when they won 47 consecutive games between 1953 to 1957.[103] In reference to the team's success and popularity as a symbol of state pride, George Lynn Cross, OU's president from 1943 to 1968, once told the Oklahoma State Senate, "I want a university the football team can be proud of."[104]

Several main athletic facilities are grouped together at the Norman campus.

The men's gymnastics team has won several national championships including championships in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2008. In addition, Oklahoma has produced five Nissen Emery Award winners, more than any other school and the only school with back-to-back honorees.[105] The softball team won a national championship in 2000[106] and the baseball team a national championship in 1994.[107] On May 10, 2007 the University announced the addition of women's rowing to the intercollegiate athletics program.[108] A rowing facility will be built on the Oklahoma River near downtown Oklahoma City. This is the first sport added since women's soccer was added in 1996.[108]

The University of Oklahoma has had a long and bitter rivalry with the University of Texas known as the Red River Shootout, Red River Rivalry, or OU-Texas, with Texas having the better overall record at 58–40–5. This rivalry is often thought of as a contest of state pride along with school pride. Oklahoma has a long-standing rivalry with Oklahoma State University. Known as the Bedlam Series, it encompasses all the athletic contests between the two universities with the winner receiving the Bedlam Bell. Another major historic rival is the University of Nebraska, which was part of the Big 8 Conference with Oklahoma and later joined with Oklahoma and other schools in the formation of the Big 12 Conference.The Sooners made football history Dec. 6, 2008, when they scored sixty or more points in five consecutive games. This achievement occurred during their victory over "Mizzou" for the Big 12 Championship.

Renewable energy

In September 2008, it was announced that the University of Oklahoma’s main campus will be entirely powered by wind by 2013 [109]. According to OU President David Boren, "It is our patriotic duty as Americans to help our country achieve energy independence and to be sound stewards of the environment."[110] The school plans to purchase its energy from the OU Spirit Wind Farm, which is scheduled for construction near Woodward in late 2009. The new source of energy is projected to cost the university an additional $5 million per year.[111]

Building renovations

OU started renovation projects to certain buildings on campus in Fall of 2008 which include Gould Hall and Collins Hall. The College of Architecture wanted to change the old design of the building into something new, more suitable but yet stands out from the rest. The Gould Hall renovation project is still in its construction stage as it should be expected to be finished by January 2011. One of the main purposes of this renovation was not to just make Gould Hall bigger and newer but to unite all five divisions of the College of Architecture under one roof for the first time.

^ This number only includes the main (Norman) and Health Sciences Campuses; numbers for the Tulsa campus were not available. Also, the number only include full-time and part-time faculty and does not include Graduate Assistants.